Undercover Blues
by Deans Addiction
Summary: Written for SparkieBunnies birthday. Things never go to plan when Tony goes undercover, this time is no different. Will Gibbs be able to back him up in time when things go south?
1. Chapter 1

It was a routine job. Go into the bar undercover, get the enough info to stand up against a conviction, get out. Tony was good at undercover work, problem was that every time he did it, it backfired on him. This time was no different.

Three guys surrounded him, one grabbing him from behind in a headlock, the other two lackeys taking that exact moment to join in, one punch 'taking no prisoners' and winding him. Unable to breathe his mind began to tunnel vision, he couldn't hear anything properly, all noises were dulled. Then his training kicked in. His mind sparked back into life, adrenaline surged in like a massive caffeine hit making him feel more alert. Despite the pain he took a deep breath and held it until his lungs kick started again. Then he flipped in toward the guy behind him, ducking under his arm, grabbing the guys wrist along the way. *Pop* with his elbow dislocated guy 1 was no longer a threat. The other two however were still a problem. They hadn't stopped taking turns hitting him and he was feeling a dull pain all over. Now he was registering the noise in the background. Not constant, but frequent, and loud. A pain-filled, desperate scream that made his heart skip when he recognised the voice. Tony!


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Ok so the last chapter was a bit of a teaser. We will get back to that, I promise. But first we need a little background._**

**_This is my first multi-chapter fic so reviews will be loved and any feedback will be appreciated. ENJOY!_**

**_I do not own NCIS or the characters etc etc I just like to play with them :)_**

_Two days earlier_

"Gear up! We got a dead body" Gibbs had just grabbed his second coffee for the morning when he got the call from Director Vance.  
>They had only had two cases in the past week, one was a Petty Officer who got injured on the dock at the naval yards which turned out to be an industrial accident, and the other was a seaman recruit who got caught stealing another ships mascot for a hazing prank.<br>"Reckon this'll be an easy one too? Three for three?"  
>"Don't say it McJinx" Tony glared at him while picking up his bag and coat, he was not in the mood for this. He never liked it when it was quiet, it made him uneasy because he knew it meant something unpleasant was coming<br>"Ever hear the phrase 'Lull before the storm' McGee?" Ziva piped in voicing Tony's exact thought, in her 'Ziva' fashion.  
>"I don't believe in that stuff" McGee said as he followed Tony, Ziva and Gibbs into the elevator.<br>"It happens all the time" Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing, obviously Tim needed to spend more time away from his computer.  
>"Boss! Surely you don't believe in this?" McGee tried to equal the ground<br>Gibbs didn't even turn to look at him, he just used that tone of his that meant the conversation was over and said "stop talking McGee". Truthfully he didn't know if he believed it or not, but he did trust his gut, and his gut was telling him something was hinky.

At the crime scene things went their usual way, Tony taking photos and measurements, Ziva using her keen eye and observation skills to assess the scene and the people around, McGee and Gibbs interviewing the LEO's and witnesses. The body was found in his own home, face down on the bedroom floor after a neighbour noticed the front door open.  
>"Mr Palmer if you could be so kind, we need to turn him over" As they rolled him they noticed something odd,<br>Taking a photo, Tony bent down and picked up the note. "4pm, Rosie's Bar. Bring the money. Come alone - NO POLICE!"  
>"Uh, Boss! You might want to take a look at this!" Tony handed him the note<br>"What have we got?"  
>"This note was under our guy here, what do you think?"<br>"Finish up here then you and McGee go back and see what you can find out about his finances. We need to know what money and why. What have you got Duck?"  
>"Well I can't tell you much until I get him back to Autopsy, upon initial examination there are no obvious signs of trauma, however I do suspect he may have died from internal bleeding"<br>"No signs of a struggle, so why was he bleeding?"  
>"That I cannot answer just yet"<p>

_Bullpen_

"Talk to me" Gibbs walked into the bullpen and took his place at his desk, waiting for an update on the case.  
>"Dead guy is Seaman Tom Wells, 23yo. I went through his finances, nothing significant, until he cashed in his account yesterday. Walked out with just under $19,000" McGee started<br>" I spoke to his CO and learned something interesting" Tony added into the conversation  
>"You waiting for an invitation DiNozzo?" After a few seconds of silence, Gibbs looked up from his desk wondering why the monologue stopped<br>"Sorry Boss, just you usually know everything before we say it, like a jedi…." At the look Gibbs gave him, Tony quickly took a breath before continuing  
>"and moving on… Turns out our victim went to his CO requesting time off. Didn't give a reason why, but after a little pushing he said he had family troubles" Flicking the buttons on the remote he brought Seaman Wells info up onto the big screen<br>"Only problem is, he is an only child and his parents died in an autowreck when he was 12. He was raised in the foster system, he has no family!" The three stood side by side looking at the screen trying to piece everything together

"Get me his CO in here, I wanna find out what else he knows. I'll be in autopsy"  
>"Already on his way Boss!" Gibbs hid a small grin as he walked away. Tony was always anticipating, that's what made him a good agent, and Gibbs got peace of mind knowing he could rely on him.<p>

_Autopsy_

"What ya got Duck?"  
>"Ah, Jethro, it appears my initial findings were correct. From what I can tell he did indeed die from internal bleeding, the poor lad had a brain aneurysm. One of the blood vessels in his brain burst."<br>"How does a 23yo die of a stroke?"  
>"There were signs of repeated head trauma and broken bones, most likely due to fighting judging from the pattern, but they were all years old. Unfortunately for this lad it was most likely hereditary, and it could have gone at any time. He would have gone quick at least."<br>"Any possibility of foul play?"  
>"You'll have to get the toxicology results from Abby to confirm, but I'm certain this is a death of natural causes."<p>

_Back in the bullpen_

"Chief Petty Officer Reynolds is waiting in the conference room. What did Ducky say?" Tony was still standing in front of the screen thinking. He does that, when he can't get his head around something that's bugging him he will stare at it until it hits him.  
>"He said it was natural causes – brain haemorrhage"<br>"So where does that leave us?"  
>"We follow the note. Natural death or not there's still something going on here. See what you can find out from the foster records"<br>"You got a gut feeling boss?"  
>"You don't?"<br>"I do, but I much rather trust yours. And right now they're screaming the same thing" with the others out of the 'bullpen' Tony was focused and serious. Something that others who took him at face value would never think he could be.

_Conference Room_

"Chief Petty Officer Reynolds, I'm Special Agent Gibbs. Now, what can you tell me about Seaman Wells?"  
>"He was a good kid, tough background, but loyal and honest"<br>"What do you know about his background?"  
>"Grew up in foster care. Was moved around a lot. Didn't really get on with any of the other kids."<br>"Did he ever mention any fights?"  
>"He was always smaller than the other boys his age so they would pick on him, beat him up. Then he grew up, bulked out and fought back. Wasn't long before he started frequenting bars and practicing his skills. Then one day a cop pulled him aside, talked him into joining the forces. Reckons he hasn't looked back since"<br>"You seem to know him pretty well" Gibbs was probing. CO's aren't normally in the habit of being 'buddy-buddy' with their subordinates.  
>"I keep a professional distance from my crew Agent Gibbs! But this kid hit a nerve, there was just something about him…he got through the armour I guess. I'm sure you know what that's like – given the work you do" Gibbs didn't answer, he just kept on with the interview.<br>"He asked you for time off yesterday. Did he say why?"  
>"As I told the other agent, he said he needed some time for a family emergency. He was real nervous, agitated. I knew he was lying, but his a good kid, and it looked like maybe he was in trouble so I pushed him on it. He said he owed some guys some money…" This had Gibbs attention<br>"Do you know who? Why?"  
>"No! He said 'they' had his little sister"<br>"According to our records he has no sister"  
>"He doesn't. Look, best I can figure the only one he ever referred to like that was a girl he knew from his last foster house when he was 19, she was younger. Something happened and he saved her from a bad situation. He took her under his wing."<br>"You have a name?"  
>"I only know her as Callie. I've never met her, hell I don't even know if he has seen her since he joined the navy."<br>"If you are as close as you say, why didn't he come to you for help?"  
>"He did! He asked me to get him the time off, he would never ask for money though. He showed me the note. He didn't want anyone else involved!"<br>"He showed you the note? When were you going to mention that Chief?"  
>"When I figured I could trust you, that you weren't corrupt. I wouldn't do anything to put my man, or that girl in anymore danger then they are already in!"<br>"Any chance he would be lying to you?"  
>"No. He wouldn't lie about something like this. Doesn't his murder prove that?"<br>"Who said anything about murder?"  
>"The other agent said he was found dead this morning" confusion washed over the chief<br>"Our ME says it was natural causes – brain haemorrhage. No signs of foul play."  
>"Then you have to find the girl"<p>

_bullpen_

"McGee trace down anything you can find on a girl named Callie from Wells last foster home"  
>"On it…" McGee began searching straight away,<br>"Callie Jensen. Would be 21yo now. No current address, no accounts that I can find. Can't even find a drivers licence. Looks like she went back under the radar after she left foster care."  
>"How is that possible? "<br>"It happens sometimes Boss!"  
>"So we can't contact her, and we don't have any way of knowing if she is being held hostage or not. For all we know she may be safe and sound, and this note may be wild goose chase"<br>"Or she could actually be in danger – think about it, who would miss a ghost?" Tony was thinking aloud. When he realised everyone was looking at him he continued  
>"There's nothing in his records to suggest he owes anyone money – no gambling debts or whatever, the only other logical conclusion is that he was going to go AWOL, cut and run. But that doesn't even fit, the Navy was his life, it saved him, you don't run from that. So the only thing we're left with is the note. Everything points to the fact he's telling the truth" Tony knew in his gut it was true, even if Ziva and McGee didn't believe him, Gibbs did.<p>

"What I don't understand is if she is being held hostage, why go to Seaman Wells for help? As far as we know they haven't been in contact for years" Ziva made a good point  
>"His rescued her before, when they were in foster care together. He's probably the only one she feels she can trust to help" Gibbs knew they needed to find this girl, and fast.<p>

"We need to find who he was taking the money too. Dig up everything you can find…" Gibbs got cut short by Tony  
>"Boss, I got an idea!" Tony had that 'lightbulb' look on his face like he got when he had an idea he was proud of,<br>"We don't know who has her, or why. But we DO know when the drop is, and where!"  
>"Make your case"<br>"OK, I go to the drop with the money, tell them Wells is dead, that I want proof of life. That way we will find out who's involved, and we will know for sure if this girl is OK"  
>"We don't know how much money was demanded"<br>"I'll take the money in the backpack we found at Well's apartment, if it's not enough they'll be sure to mention it, and I'll negotiate for more time. Then we'll have enough evidence to get these guys behind bars, and get the girl"  
>"OK. Ziva and McGee stay here and keep digging. Tony and I will go to the drop. Its 14:30 hours now, it'll take an hour to get to the bar. Tony get the money, get yourself wired and let's go. I'll meet you in the car"<br>"What about the director?"  
>"We won't have departmental approval since there is not enough to go on. We're doin' this one alone, no backup" With that Tony and Gibbs headed to the elevators.<p>

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Feel free to give the little button below some love :)  
>Hurt!Tony, Protective!Gibbs coming up soon...<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow! Thank you to everyone who sent through a review or added this story to their 'story alert'. I got over 40 responces from as far away as Germany and Ireland.  
>I wasn't planning on updating so quick, but I am off work today and was so moved by all the responces that I thought I would give you all a little present.<br>****  
>I beg forgiveness for any inaccuracies in geography or whatever - I'm an Aussie :) <strong>

_Rosies bar_

Tony was wired with an earpiece so Gibbs could hear what was going on, but to protect his cover they couldn't risk taking the surveillance van since it would have stuck out on the back-woods dirt road, so they decided to take Gibbs car instead. It was Tony's idea, so Tony was in charge. He let Gibbs out of the car about 500 metres away behind the cover of a woodshed, then continued the drive up to the bar. As far as meeting points went this was probably one of the best DiNozzo had seen. It was a half run down biker-looking bar that you would just drive past unless you had a reason to stop. There were dirt road and paddocks on the lead up to the property, but as you got closer it became more private with trees spread throughout, providing a nice cover. Not to mention it was easily 30mins from the nearest town, which meant no police frequenting the area. The butterflies in his stomach sped up a little as he prepared himself to enter the bar.

The plan was Tony would leave the backpack with the cash in the trunk of the car and Gibbs remain in a hidden position to provide backup, and would photograph them when they came out to collect the money. They weren't there to make arrests, only to gather intel, so it sounded like a good plan.

Tony fixed the collar on his leather jacket as he walked through the door. It took his eyes a second to adjust to the dim interior, when he could see he counted one guy behind the bar, and two guys in front. All of them had a bulk advantage over Tony, and all of them looked as though they weren't virgins in the killing department. He made a silent prayer that this would go smoothly.

"Wow! the 3 stooges meets godfather" He said as he looked around the room. Exit off to the right through to the back, bathrooms behind him, and possibly an office in the back corner.

"Who are you?" The guy behind the bar (Tony mentally nicknamed him Curly) asked while his eyes made a subtle, unconscious dart to the counter, unintentionally giving away the fact there was most likely a gun under there. Tony's ability to read people gave him one advantage at least.

"I'm Tony. I'm a friend of Wells" putting on his serious face, he knew this is where it could all go pear shaped.

"Where's Wells" _anger, expected but not a good sign_

"He's dead. He died this morning. He told me about the drop, I've come to finish it!" _keep it straight, can't afford to blow it_

"What do you know?" _oh, crap!_ Now they all moved toward him. Putting his hands up in front of him Tony stood firm as 'Larry' and 'Mo' circled on either side of him

"He told me that he needed to bring the money here, that some guy had something in exchange" He didn't want to tip his hat too early, but this was going to go south to quick. He had to get it under control, now.

"What else did he tell you?"

"That's all I know. I just came to finish it, that's all!"

"Where's the money" 'Curly' was now in his face, obviously the leader of the pack.

"In the trunk of my car, it's parked out front. I have proof. Let me just grab it out of my pocket…"Tony was slowly moving his hand to his side pocket

"Stop! Don't move. Check him!"

'Mo' and 'Larry' grabbed him. As one went to feel inside his pocket, the other jumped behind and got him in a chokehold before he could make a move to stop him.

With his head held upwards by the elbow under his chin, Tony no longer had a good view of everyone.

"Easy! You should really buy me dinner first…Oomph!" 'Larry' who was fishing through his pockets elbowed him in the chest. Apparently he didn't like jokes. Well Tony didn't like being man-handled, so he was going to be hearing a few more.

"Sorry, didn't mean to insult you infront of your girlfriend here" Finishing with a Cheshire smile it was quickly knocked off of him by a blow to the head.

"Ok, Ok" That was one hell of a hit, his head was starting to spin slightly "Back to business… I have a wad of cash in my pocket and another $18,000 in the trunk."

"The deal was $25,000!" _Bingo! _

"Consider it a down payment, I want proof that you have what he wants!"

'Curly' punched him in the face, leaving blood trickling down his cheek "you are in no position to make demands"

* * *

><p>Gibbs had been listening to this through his ear-piece. He had to give DiNozzo a chance to finish the job, but Gibbs also wasn't going to let him get hurt or killed trying. As he sat in position he noticed movement by a small shed at the other side of bar. One guy was standing there guarding the entrance, it was too small a shed to hide anything big, but it could hide a person. Going on a hunch he went over to investigate.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey, whats this?" After 'Larry' found the money in Tony's pocket he was let go, but not before 'Mo' noticed something. He took a small device out of Tony's ear and held it up to examine it. Confusion turned into realisation, he dropped the device on the ground and stomped on it. <em>Crap!<em>

"It's not what you think! I have a hearing problem…to many hits to the head" Tony tried to plead his case, but it was too late. Tony didn't see the guy hiding in the shadows until he began his approach, 4 guys, great!

"You're a cop! " 'Shadow-Man' was pissed, and was obviously the one in charge, making Tony think that 'curly' was actually his no 2.

Tony didn't hesitate, throwing punches at whoever he could reach before his world went grey and he was vaguely aware of being dragged into a small room.

**A/N: Ooh, cliffhanger. More Hurt!Tony and Protective!Gibbs coming up - I just had to tease you a little :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Apologies for not updating sooner, I have been without the internet for the past week :(**  
><strong>As promised here is the next chapter with more Hurt!Tony and Protective!Gibbs. <strong>  
><strong>Enjoy :)<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS blah blah blah**

_PREVIOUSLY:_

_"You're a cop!" 'Shadow-Man' was pissed, and was obviously the one in charge, making Tony think that 'curly' was actually his no 2._

_Tony didn't hesitate, throwing punches at whoever he could reach before his world went grey and he was vaguely aware of being dragged into a small room._

* * *

><p>Gibbs was just getting into position behind the guy out front of the shed when he heard "Whats this?" come over the comm. He had just incapacitated the guy with a chokehold as the loud, high-pitched squeal was heard, telling him Tony's earwig had been destroyed. '<em>Well, no holding back now' <em>he thought. His hunch payed off, entering the shed he saw a figure tied up on the floor. He untied the girl then used the ropes to tie up the guard he just took out.

"Callie, my name is Gibbs. I am a federal agent, I am here to help"

"Oh thank god!" she wrapped her arms around him in a death grip

"Can you walk?" prying her off, Gibbs put a hand on either side of her face to get her focused and calm

"Yeah!" taking a deep breath to shake off the anxiety she responded confidently.

"Good. I need you to take this phone use speed dial 2, tell Ziva we need backup Now! Then go hide in the car and don't move till I tell ya! Understand?"

"Yes!" nodding, she stood there holding his phone

"Good girl" trusting she was safe he turned towards the back entrance of the bar

"Where are you going?"

"My partners inside – now GO!"

* * *

><p>Inside the bar Tony managed to find his feet and began throwing punches again. Tony 'curly' and 'shadow-man' were going toe-to-toe one at a time. As Tony landed a hit on one, the other would step in, in an unrelenting assault Tony was tiring fast. Tony didn't know who managed to get the upper hand on him, but as he felt a sickening thud in the back of his head he went down for the count.<p>

* * *

><p>There was shouting as Gibbs came through the door. Tony had managed to let him know there were 3 guys with his 3 stooges comment, but as he came in he only saw two standing in the middle of the room by the pool table arguing.<p>

"Who the hell are you?" one of the men said whe he turned and saw Gibbs advancing towards them

"Special Agent Gibbs, now where's my agent?" Tony couldn't risk carrying a gun in case it blew his cover, but he was skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat to not be defenceless, and there was always Rule #9. Gibbs however, came prepared. He was Tony's only backup. He had his gun trained on them before they even knew he was there.  
>The two went to reach for their own weapons,<p>

"Drop it!" a third guy had his gun barrel sitting firmly against Gibbs head. _Well, that's 3 guys, so where's DiNozzo._ Outnumbered, he slowly placed his gun on the floor and kicked it away

"Where is my agent?" he stood back up, but resisted the impulse to put up his hands. These guys were tough, but they weren't going to see him beg.

"He's being taken care of" the bastard said with a sick smile. Gibbs was going to have fun wiping it off his face.

"I want to see him" although they had guns, they didn't look like they were planning on using them

"You don't get to make the demands here, Agent Gibbs" as he heard the click of the guns safety being taken off from behind him, Gibbs realised he might have been wrong

_I don't have time for this_ Gibbs thought as he quickly did a 180 turn and knocked the gun out of the hand of the guy that was behind him, and punched him in the face.

Unfortunately he had turned his back on the other two who still had their guns, but instead of shooting him, one of them, the one with the sick smile, grabbed him from behind and got him in a headlock.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Tony had a rude comeback to reality when something hard hit him in his back as he lay stunned on the floor.<p>

He tried not to scream in pain. Refused to give them the satisfaction, but as the bat came down full force on one of his knee caps he felt the sharp burning pain of his knee exploding and he cried out. Trying to breathe, to stay in control, he was punched in the face, breaking his nose. Then the bat came down on his other leg *Snap*.

As Gibbs was fighting to free himself and get to Tony, Tony was in the office trying to get the upper hand in his own fight. It was two against 1, trying to push past the pain he managed to swing himself around to grab the ankle of one of them, sending 'curly' crashing head first into the corner of the table. Not enough to leave any lasting damage, but enough to knock him out for a few seconds. That pissed off the 'shadow-man' who grabbed the bat and wacked Tony hard across the lower abdomen before holding the bat tight under his throat so he couldn't breathe.

* * *

><p>After the first guy went down with a dislocated elbow, Gibbs slid across the floor to where his gun was, 2 well aimed shots later the other two were also incapacitated. He made sure he didn't hit anything vital so they would live to see jail time. Having effectively dealt with the men out the front, Gibbs headed towards the door where he had heard Tony. His heart was racing, it hadn't gone unnoticed that everything was quiet now. <em>Hope for the best but expect the worst...<em>

**_A/N: Like it? Hate it? Lost? Give the little button some love and let me know.  
>Thanks for staying with me...more good stuff to come :)<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I do not own NCIS etc etc.**  
><strong>Gibbs finally gets to Tony...<strong>

_PREVIOUSLY:_

Having effectively dealt with the men out the front, Gibbs headed towards the door where he had heard Tony. His heart was racing, it hadn't gone unnoticed that everything was quiet now._ Hope for the best but expect the worst..._

* * *

><p>Pushing the door open, Gibbs was ready to murder someone with what he saw. Tony was on the floor, legs outstretched at an angle, back against a lounge chair, only just propping him up. His was face was covered in blood from his nose, and he was guessing a few hits to the head. There was a guy sitting over the top of him trying to choke him with a baseball bat. He wouldn't have even known what hit him, 'shadow-man' was dead before he hit the ground with a bullet through his skull. Gibbs told himself it was a justified kill, his agents life was in danger.<p>

The other guy who had since come-tu was now standing beside Tony, Gibbs ordered him to the back of the room. As 'curly' walked towards the far wall he couldn't resist laying one final kick into Tony as he stepped over him,causing him to cry out once more.

Gibbs grabbed him from behind, spun him around and held him up against a wall. He wanted nothing more than to break this guys neck right now, "touch him again and I'll kill you where you stand!" Gibbs growled.

"You can't touch me!"

"You wanna bet your life on that? I promise you if you make one more move on my agent you'll be leaving here in a body bag!"

'Curly' knelt in the corner hands behind his head as instructed while Gibbs cuffed him.

Gibbs looked over to Tony. He hadn't moved and his breathing was erratic, blood was gurgling out his mouth when he breathed. But his eyes were open and he locked onto Gibbs gaze. They didn't need to use words to communicate, and that had proved invaluable on many occasions. Right now it let Gibbs say 'Hold on Tony, I'll be back' and Tony reply 'I'm good. Go'. They knew it freaked others out when they did it. It was like they had a telepathic link, always able to read each other. It just came from working so closely with someone for so long. A necessary skill they developed.

Gibbs marched everyone out to the small shed outside. Small, only one entry/exit, solid design and lockable. He cleared it after he knocked out the guy guarding it and was now using it as a temporary holding cell until help arrived.

Racing back inside he grabbed what towels he could find behind the bar and a bucket of water. As he entered the office Tony was choking and struggling to breathe. Jumping behind him Gibbs quickly rolled him onto his side and patted his back, dislodging the clot of blood that had blocked Tony's airways. Once dislodged he vomited it up leaving a sticky red mess on the carpet, taking a few gasping breaths he vomited again. Gibbs was holding him so he didn't land in his own mess

"Easy, easy!" He grabbed out Tony's cell, broken, _great!_

"They busted me up pretty bad boss!" Tony tried to turn his head so he could look at Gibbs (and to look away from what he just did), Gibbs could see half of Tony's face and saw a stray tear rolling down his cheek.

"I gotta move you into a better position Tony, it's gonna hurt like hell, I'm sorry!"

"You apologised… What happened … to rule… 6 boss?"

"Don't talk Tony"

As he grabbed him under his armpits and began to pull him into the recovery position, so not to choke on his own blood, Tony let out another agonised cry. Gibbs heart broke and he wanted to vomit, he wanted to kill everyone who did this…slowly!

"What did they do Tony?"

"Didn't…like my ..jokes boss!" he was making the same choking/hacking sound he made when he had the plague. Gibbs never wanted to hear that noise again for a long as he lived.

"Busted my …legs pretty bad. Head. Back…ARGH!" a spasm went through his body as he arched his back and began to hyperventilate. During Gibbs time in the corp he had been around often enough when his friends were injured that he knew he had to get Tony focused before he went insane from the pain.

"Ya gotta breathe Tony!" no response_, marine voice it is then_

"DINozzo! Look at me!" _that got his attention_

"Breathe. Through. The. Pain" _that'a boy._ Gibbs was always amazed, and scared, at Tony's absolute trust in him. He began taking controlled deep breaths, as deep as he could anyway. A few moments passed, with Tony focusing on his breathing and Gibbs focusing on his bleeding.

"The girl"

"She's safe, she was in a shed out back"

Another wave of pain hit and Tony began to hum. Gibbs sat there holding him until it passed, the humming getting louder as the pain increased.

"Tony I gotta go check outside, I'll be right back"

"Not goin..anywhere…boss!" Tony still managed a cocky smile despite the hell he was feeling.

Running out the front with one of the phones he confiscated, he checked for any sign of a cell signal, still nothing. Next he checked the shed, still secure. So now he was stuck, 30 mins from help with a seriously injured agent, no service, and no car because the girl had driven off in the mustang while they were inside fighting the guys that took her. _Oh yeah, that went to plan._

Going back inside Tony breathing had shallowed and his eyes had closed. "Tony! Tony open your eyes", using his thumb he forced one of his lids open. His pupil was slightly dilated but it had the desired response, he opened his eyes,

"Stay awake Tony, I know your tired but you gotta stay awake for me"

"Sorry boss, … bat nap" He was still twitching and gurgling, the usual humour was fading from his voice. "cold" it was barely above a whisper, Gibbs couldn't leave him alone to go look for a blanket so he draped his own jacket over him and sat in behind him to use his own body heat to keep him warm

"No smart-ass comments!"

"wouldn't..dream..of it..boss"

After a minute Tony went completely limp, but began humming with even more passion than before, like it was live or die. At first Gibbs thought it was the pain, then he realised what he was doing. He was focusing on the humming not only to drown out the pain, but it was also his way to fight the urge to pass out. If he hummed, he stayed awake. Problem was it was using all his energy, and he couldn't breathe, so he couldn't keep it up for long. Eventually he swapped to just grabbing onto Gibbs.

Looking around the room again for anything that could help, Gibbs could have slapped himself when he noticed the land-line phone laying on the floor behind the desk. He carefully moved out from behind DiNozzo before racing over to it and dialling Ziva's desk, "This is Officer David, I am away from my desk, so... leave a message" _damn it! _He dialled again, this time trying her mobile  
>"David"<br>"Ziva, its Gibbs. We need backup and an ambulance at Rosies bar"

"McGee, Ducky and I are already on our way, we are 20mins out."

Gibbs hung up the phone, he had questions but they could wait. Right now he had to be with Tony.

Tony felt Gibbs move, he couldn't say it but he needed the contact to say anchored to reality. Without it he could feel himself falling apart, he felt every broken bone, every bruise, every hit. But what scared him the most was he could feel the pull of unconsciousness, and it terrified him. He didn't know if he was strong enough to bring himself back if he took that road, and while he wasn't afraid to die, he didn't know if he was ready. His warped thinking was that 'if he fell asleep, it equalled death', 'if he fell asleep willingly, it equalled suicide' and nothing terrified him more than the thought of suicide. He felt himself start to lose it, the black hole in his chest was opening, he needed Gibbs. He might not be able to reach him, but he could still see him, and that was going to have to be good enough. Locking his eyes onto Gibbs like a missile training on a target he took as deep a breath as he could muster and repeated to himself "It's OK, I'm OK" in his head, and waited for his heart rate to lower and the anxiety attack to go away.

Hanging up the phone Gibbs turned back to see Tony staring at him. He had seen many sides to Tony, more than most others since Gibbs was probably the only one Tony trusted to see more. While he had seen Tony naked before, he couldn't remember a time when he had seen him emotionally naked with no mask, nothing to hide behind. As he saw the terror and desperation in his eyes now, he saw what Tony spent every second trying to hide and deny. He was fragile, scarred, and emotionally tormented.

Gibbs sat beside Tony and put a hand on his chest, he felt him relax a little at the touch. Gibbs looked him in the eye and said "I'm not going anywhere. Neither are you" as Tony's eyes slipped closed Gibbs couldn't rouse him. "Your strong, you'll make it" Gibbs said it to reassure Tony, on the chance he could still hear him, but mostly he said it to reassure himself . Blood from his nose began clotting at the back of Tony's throat, Gibbs grabbed him and rolled him back onto his side. Unconscious, Tony was unable to cough it up so Gibbs had to clear it for him. Hooking his fingers behind the long, slimy clot he pulled it forward until Tony's airways were clear again, and wiped it on the carpet. Tony lay there, too strong to die, in the recovery position on his boss' lap.

A short while later sirens could be heard in the distance. Gibbs would have thought Tony was still out of it had he not spoken "Boss?"

"Welcome back"

"Go somewhere?"

"Nah… helps here Tony." Gibbs couldn't let Tony pick up on any hints of concern so he tried to keep it light, but it didn't last long

"Can't feel anything" Tony sounded different, detached

"You hang on Tony! That's an order"

"Don't want them…see me like this"

A minute later a local LEO came around the corner, gun drawn, and paled at the site. Ziva was right behind, and she too went pale but was quickly recovered when Gibbs spoke

"There's a shed out back with 5 guys and a 'DB' in it that need to be taken into custody, Ziva take McGee. No-one comes in this room except Ducky!"

Turning and taking the LEO out with her Ziva secured the area and sent Ducky inside.

"Oh dear!"

"Duck, his in and out of consciousness, legs and back are busted. Nose is broken and his been choking on the blood, vomited a few times."

"Tony? can you hear me?" the Medical examiner knelt next to his prone friend

"Mmh, I'm here" he was fading fast

"I need to examine you lad, I'm afraid it won't be pleasant"

"I'm OK" it would have been more convincing if he didn't sound so groggy

As Ducky began his exam Tony tried not to flinch at every touch as it reignited feeling. Being on Gibbs lap he had a death grip on Gibbs left arm, digging in with every flare of pain. Gibbs other arm was on top of Tony's side with his hand holding Tony's head still so he didn't thrash. As Ducky put pressure on Tony's busted knee he stopped breathing and his world went black.

**A/N: I am so mean to our poor Tony.**  
><strong>I hope you are still enjoying the story.<br>Apologies if Tony sounds a bit whimpy, that is not my intention but I think he may have come off that way a bit, he's just the victim of a beginner writer.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok, sorry it took so long for the update. I have been procrastinating since I am not entirely happy with this chapter. Hope you like it.  
>It was supposed to be the last chapter but I am now thinking I may have one more in me :)<strong>

Previously:

_As Ducky began his exam Tony tried not to flinch at every touch as it reignited feeling. Being on Gibbs lap he had a death grip on Gibbs left arm, digging in with every flare of pain. Gibbs other arm was on top of Tony's side with his hand holding Tony's head still so he didn't thrash. As Ducky put pressure on Tony's busted knee he stopped breathing and his world went black.  
><em>

* * *

><p>As the heavy blackness began to lift, the first thing that he registered was a regular high-pitched beep, that increased speed as he felt pressure on his face and something being forced down his throat. He was being suffocated. He numbly felt his arms try to lift up to his face but they weren't moving fast enough, he panicked. Opening his eyes he didn't register his surroundings, he just had to breathe. After what felt like a painstakingly long time he managed to get his arms to move, he grabbed the thing in his mouth and pulled. It wasn't enough to bring it out completely so now he really was choking…that was the moment people came running through the door.<p>

One tried to lower him onto his back and hold him down, to which Tony threw them across the room, adrenaline giving him more strength then he should have right now. A second guy grabbed the tube that was preventing his scarred lungs from getting the oxygen they craved, a third guy came beside him and held him in place as the doctor pulled the tube. "Cough as hard as you can" Tony did just that, he would have said he coughed up a lung, but truth was he coughed up yesterday's lunch… he was grateful for the guy beside him holding the bucket.

Once he was able to breathe again he felt the dull pain all over his body and something up his nose, then he realised the third guy in the room, the guy holding him steady – and the bucket, was Gibbs. Then he looked up at the man fixing up the tubing and putting an oxygen mask over his face, it was Dr Pitt.

"Give us a minute guys" At Dr Pitts request the orderly and Gibbs both left the room, the later making it clear he would be right outside after getting a coffee.

"You're in hospital, you couldn't breathe so we had to put you on a ventilator. With the extent of your injuries we also had to put you into an induced coma to let your body heal. You have a nasal-gastric feeding tube in, so we could give your body fuel while it was healing" Dr Pitt watched the mixture of emotions wash over Tony before he had the ability to hide them

"Coma?... give it to me straight doc, how bad is it?" Tony was still short of breath, but the message was clear _will I be able to work again?_ _Or walk?_

"You had swelling around your brain and spinal cord. Your right knee was cracked beyond repair, your left shin was in pieces. Four bruised ribs, three broken, one of which punctured your lung. " Taking a breath, and giving Tony a minute to catch up Dr Pitt continued "We performed emergency surgery to replace your knee, put surgical rods and pins in your shin, and repaired your ribs, nose and lung. If the swelling in your brain hadn't stopped we would have had to remove a piece of your skull, but thankfully it didn't come to that. The swelling in your spine went down on its own as well eventually. You were very lucky Tony, nothing was irreparable. You should be fine to resume LIGHT duties in 3 weeks, but you will need time and some intense rehab to get back to peak performance"

"Huh!..." For the first time Tony was speechless, he couldn't think of anything to say, which was just as well since his throat was raw and hurting.

"You were in the coma for three weeks before we stopped the meds to let you wake up naturally. Our first hurdle is to get you eating solid food again. So we'll get this stomach tube out of you tomorrow. You should be right to be discharged in a few days, but you'll need someone with you"

"He'll be staying with me" true to his word Gibbs was straight back after getting his coffee, so he had been standing there listening for a good few minutes, long enough to hear the majority of the conversation.

"I figured as much, I know I can trust you to keep him in line so I will start to get things organised. For now though you need to let your lungs and throat recover from the ventilator so no talking and I'll get one of the nurses to bring in some ice chips for you" Dr Pitt left the room to give them some privacy

"You OK Tony?"

"Yeah, I'm fine….alot to take in ya know" he was freaking out a little inside, this is not what he was expecting. He zoned out, staring at a spot on the bed.

Gibbs walked over beside Tony and gave him a tap to ground him again.

"What happened to the girl?"

"Girls safe, I told her to call Ziva for backup. She couldn't get a cell signal so she drove until she did, then she stayed on the corner of the road to lead the way when help arrived. She saved your life in a way."

"Smart girl, so why did they have her?"

"She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, saw something she shouldn't have. They were going to kill her but somehow she persuaded them to ransom her instead, saved her own life too. She is in witness protection now, she'll be safe"

"What about *cough* the guys that did this? I don't understand why they didn't *cough* shoot me, they had guns…"

"Stop talking DiNozzo! They didn't want the murder of a cop to be traced back to them, which is why they didn't use bullets. Trials are ongoing, but they'll all see their time in jail. You got beat to hell but you got the evidence. You did good Tony"

"Thanks Boss!"

"One last thing, you are never going undercover again! Hear me?"

"Got it boss!" So they sat there with Gibbs sipping his coffee and Tony soaking up the morphine drip for the next three days until Tony was discharged, Gibbs never leaving his side.

**To be continued...or not? The future will tell :)**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, sorry I haven't got back to you all.  
>Special note to SparkieBunny - you are totally awesome and an inspiration. I truely hope you have enjoyed the story and best wishes for the holidays to everyone.<strong>

**PS: 'Review' buttons need love too, spread the x-mas cheer and give it a click :)**


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